Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-09-04

fayorite beverage, ana on the
morning OF the interment very much
affected, half with grief and half with
cider, directed his steps towards the
old s.eeple TO sound the bells for the
mournful ceremony. With one hand
on the cord Of the main bell, the other
clasping the cords of the lesser ones,
the knell commenced, q series of strokes
uniformly spaced and traversed or
crossed from time to time by plant,
sonorous end profound, from the throat
Of the monster bell--ding -ding-bing
ing-ding-bing
II was sad-it was heart-breaking,
and as he rang, tears streamed from his
eyes, and he talked to himself:
"My poor old man, / will see thee
no more / But it will come to all of
us-ding-ding - bing-and Mother
Benoit-a gossip and sharp-but what
will she do without thee? ding-ding-
g-what fun we have had All.
Seigneur Dieu, what fun We have had -"
and gradually as the fumes of the
cider mounted to his brain, disslpatlng
his grief, Cloquet began TO see things
in different light. The bells FLASHED
on, il was true, bat rapidly losing their
funeral character. And that moment
the convoy started from the house of
the deiunct, followed 10y all the village,
the widow at the head escorted by
her neighbors draped in their mourn
ing capes.
"And the time" continued the
ringer, completely absorbed in his me-
mories, and mechanicalIy,pulling upon
the cords without thinking of what he
was doing, "the evening that we met
in the hedge big Usurla, the miller's
daughter, the same who is to-day so Sc
we're upon youthful follies, we kissed
her actually kissed her =" and break
ing into q shout of laughter, Mon.
Cloquet threw his soul into his work,
and, behold, the bells, as the bier, car
ried by eight stalwart bearers, passed
across the threshold OF the church, be-
gan toexecute carol, more spirited and
Joyous than the village had ever heard
before.
Imagine for yourself the scandal, the
reprimand from the cure, who had never
laughed in his life, and the guying of
the neighbors to which the unfortunate
Cloquet had now to submit But worse
than all this, as he returned to his
home after finishing his sorrowful task,
be found himself face to face with the
Widow Benoit, also returning, but from
the cemetery.
"Thou hast failed, Cloquet," said
she, approaching him with menacing
finger, "thou hast failed in respect not
only to thy comrade and friend, Benoit,
but to Death, the master of us all, who
has taken him rest assured that in re-
turn Death Will not be merciful to
thee !" Exceedingly disagreeable words
to listen to, even if one was blessed
with a courageous spirit.
A month, perhaps, after the morning
of the funeral services, as our worthy
bell-ringer WAS passing along the vii
lage street he was hailed bya neighbor.
Ringer of sorrow and misfortune, "
said he "why can't you allow us to
sleep in our beds ? Have you again
taken drop too much, that you must
go and sound the bells in the middle Of
the night 2"
Sound the bells in the middle of
the night? Bah !" and Struggling his
shoulders, Cloquet, believing the other
to be only guying him. continued on
bis way. Ten steps further along,
however, another addressed him to the
same CheCt-there was something in it
and he began to ask questions, to learn
that the preceding night the bells had
rung or tinkled for some minutes, not
in a peal or carol, but in slow. lugu-
brious notes like knell struck by in
experienced hands. Some even pre-
tended that it had been heard before at
different times, and of late more fire.
quently.
"They dream, said Cloquet to him
himself, "but my conscience is clean,
and not later than this night will
listen !"
The evening came, and, true to his
resolve, instead of going to bed as
usual, Immediately after the ringing Of
the Angelus, ClOquet lighted his can
die. whlstled for his cat to keep him
company-forgt ting that it had been
absent several days-and sat himself
Gown to wait, a pot of cider at his
elbow 10 assist him IN combating sleep.
The candle burned to the socket and
he bad begun to nod, when all at once
u vell-knoWn sound aroused him, the
sound OF the bells, tinkling softly,
three, four, eight times at long inter-
walls. then deeper tinkle from the
mistress bell-it Was the knell, the flu
neral knell beginning, beyond doubt !
The cuckoo banging upon the wall
marked a minute past midnight. Clo-
quet shiyered little. but continued to
wait, his throat dry. his breathing hur-
ried, but nothing came-it was fin
Ished
"Pah !" he murmured alond, ga
Joke and a bad one ; 1t is too late to-
night to Sc, but if they return to-mor-
row / will lind out who speaks " and
his natural Indifference returning to
him, be tmptied bis pot Of cider,
crushed with his thumb the smoking
wick Pickering on the edge OF tie can
dles.ick, and threw himself upon his
bed-but not to sleep well
The following morning as soon as 1t
was light he started for the beliry, and,
fitting the key into the lock-the key
that never for moment had quilted
the pocket of his woollen jacket-gave
il a vigorous turn. II worked all right,
without a trace of fracture, and neither
in nor around it was there the slightest
thing suspicious. Nevertheless, the
bad Joker was bound TO have had a
means of entering, perhaps above the
top Of the door, semi-circular in form
and intended for transom. A mar
could easily have forced himself through
tire space, provided a comrade had an
swered for a ladder.
"Ihere were two of them. OF course,
said Cloquet, and his examination made
he seated himself to arrange his plane
that be would execute alone, telling M
one for fear of indiscretion.
At bis customary hour that evening
on returning from the Angelus, he be
gan his preparations, first closing NJ
the house in front and putting out hi
candle to make it appear that he wa
abed as usual. After this he went on
again by the door in the back opening
into the garden, in one hand stou
oaken cudgel. with which he promised